Chapter 660: A Drunken Dream

As soon as Liu Guangfu entered the courtyard, he ran right into He Yushui coming out with a few young women.

Xiaomi, Dahua, Xiaoqi, and also Yu Haitang.

The group was laughing and chatting, looking like they were heading out to eat at a restaurant.

His eyes immediately glued themselves onto Yu Haitang, staring fixedly, just like a wooden puppet with its spring wound too tight.

"You bastard! What are you looking at?" He Yushui glared at him, her voice sharp enough to shatter glass.

She truly hated this person. That piano of hers had been smashed to pieces by Liu Guangfu and his band of thugs. Repairing a piano in this day and age? It was harder than ascending to heaven!

Liu Guangfu sheepishly withdrew his gaze, spat fiercely on the ground, and turned to head home.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw his father, Liu Haizhong, drinking a sullen drink in front of a plate of peanuts.

There were only a few peanuts left, and the bottle was more than half empty.

Liu Guangfu sat down at the table, reached out to grab a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, chewing with a crunch. "Dad, I've taken a fancy to Yu Haitang and want to marry her. Could you help me find a matchmaker and go to her house to talk about it?"

Liu Haizhong lifted his eyelids to glance at him, then lowered them again, as if he hadn't heard him at all.

"Dad?"

"You want to marry her?" Liu Haizhong sneered. "She is the Broadcasting Group Leader at the Rolling Mill; her monthly salary and subsidies are more than mine. Do you think she'd take a fancy to a street loafer like you?"

Liu Guangfu curled his lip, looking indifferent. "Aren't you a Workshop Director? We are a Cadre family, and her family are just ordinary workers. Would she dare to snub you?"

Liu Haizhong slammed his wine cup onto the table, splashing the wine out. "That director position of mine was lost because of you! If I couldn't beat you now, I would have beaten you to death long ago! Your father is just an ordinary worker now! In the future, stop spreading your bad behavior outside, or no one will be able to protect you!"

Liu Guangfu was stunned. "Dad, how did you get stripped of your official position in just one day? Who did it?"

Liu Haizhong didn't say a word, just buried his head and poured another drink.

Liu Guangfu's eyes darted around, and he suddenly slapped the table. "It must be that bastard He Yuzhu!"

Liu Haizhong also slapped the table, shaking several peanuts into the air. "You idiot, you have no brain! Did you let Xu Damao fool you again? What kind of person is He Yuzhu? He even dares to kill invaders; do you think he's afraid of you?"

Liu Guangfu shrank his neck, his voice dropping. "It was Xu Damao who took a letter and let me see it; my name was written on it... I was quite excited when I saw it, so I helped him scout out He Yuzhu's house..."

"That bastard Xu Damao! He is a menace." Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth. "He really ruined me! If he hadn't smashed up the He Family, would He Yuzhu have turned against me? Would I have lost my position?"

As he spoke, he downed another cup, not even bothering to wipe the wine flowing down the corner of his mouth.

Hearing that his father was no longer a Workshop Director, Liu Guangfu felt half his confidence drain away, but he still wouldn't give up. "Dad, just find a matchmaker to help me talk; maybe the Yu family will agree?"

Liu Haizhong glared at him. "If you want to marry her, go talk to her yourself. Isn't free love the trend now? Your father doesn't have that ability anymore."

Liu Guangfu was filled with pent-up anger, turned around and left, going off to find his fox friends and dog companions again.

As soon as He Yuzhu arrived home, He Daqing leaned in and asked, "Zhuzi, what exactly happened with Li Huaide today? Many people in the factory are gossiping; some say Li Huaide bullied Qin Huairu, and others say you set a trap for Li Huaide!"

He Yuzhu smiled and told him the whole story from beginning to end.

After listening, He Daqing slapped his thigh. "Excellent! That kid really doesn't know who he is lately!"

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

This day, He Yuzhu suddenly received a call from Secretary Liu: "Zhuzi, have the Lou Family go to the detention center tomorrow to pick someone up."

He Yuzhu asked, "Have you decided on your side yet?"

Secretary Liu said, "I am leaning toward Liaoning Province. What is your opinion?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment. "Of course I hope you stay in Si Jiu Cheng. But for your own sake, it is better to go to Liaoning Province. Si Jiu Cheng is currently at the center of the storm; one slip and it is easy to take the wrong path."

Secretary Liu praised, "Good, I will think about it some more!"

The next day, He Yuzhu drove the car and took Xiao E to the detention center to pick up Lou Zhenhua.

When Lou Zhenhua came out from inside, He Yuzhu almost didn't recognize him.

He had lost a circle of weight, his hair had turned mostly white, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his cheekbones were protruding.

When he saw He Yuzhu, his eyes immediately turned red.

"Zhuzi..." He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. "It's all my fault for not listening to you at the time. This time... I've caused you such big trouble."

He Yuzhu waved his hand. "Don't be so formal, why say such things? Let's hurry home."

He drove Lou Zhenhua and Xiao E back to that small building.

From the outside, the building looked the same as before.

But as soon as he entered the courtyard, He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat.

The courtyard was overgrown with waist-high weeds, and several fruit trees were growing wildly with branches stretching out like octopuses.

A pile of messy, miscellaneous items sat in the corner, clearly untouched for several months.

Tan Yali and Xiao E were home, but the two women didn't have the strength to clean it up, so they could only let it go to waste.

Lou Zhenhua stood in the courtyard, looked around, sighed, and turned to He Yuzhu. "Zhuzi, have a meal at my house?"

He Yuzhu smiled. "I'll go out for a bit and make you some authentic Sichuan Cuisine."

Xiao E said, "Brother Zhuzi, let me go with you to buy things."

He Yuzhu waved his hand. "I'll go out myself."

Xiao E didn't insist further.

He Yuzhu went out for a turn, bought some pork and the like; as for the fish, he took it from his space.

After being out for more than half an hour, he returned carrying two large baskets, along with two bottles of Moutai.

When Lou Zhenhua saw the items in the baskets, his eyes lit up. "Zhuzi, it's been a long time since I've eaten your cooking. Thinking back now, that time in Lingnan was truly the happiest time I've had recently. Eating the Spicy Crayfish you made, drinking beer, everyone chatting together without a care in the world. Sigh, thinking about it now, it feels like a lifetime ago. Why are people's happy times so short?"

He Yuzhu smiled. "Then we must turn bitter days into sweet ones. It's like cooking; people who don't like to eat will treat it as exhausting work. If you enjoy eating, cooking is a kind of pleasure."

He Yuzhu tied on an apron and began to busy himself, with Xiao E helping on the side.

Over these years, she was no longer a young lady of status, and she was quite skilled at chores like washing and prepping vegetables.

Before long, He Yuzhu had prepared a table full of dishes: Dongpo pork knuckle, Boiled Fish, Twice Cooked Pork, Nine-Turn Intestines, and a plate of Squirrel Mandarin Fish.

"It smells delicious!" Lou Zhenhua, this big Boss, showed a deep desire for food for the first time.

He Yuzhu opened the two bottles of Moutai and said, "Today, let's have a good drink."

Xiao E said, "Drinking cold wine is bad for your health; I'll go warm it up for you all." After saying this, she took the wine and went out.

Once the wine was warmed, the four of them sat down to eat.

Lou Zhenhua picked up a piece of Dongpo pork knuckle; it was plump and wobbly. He took a bite, and the grease flowed down the corner of his mouth. "I used to think this stuff was too greasy," he said while chewing, "but now I can eat two of them by myself."

Tan Yali glared at him, "Eat less.

You didn't eat well in the detention center; suddenly gorging yourself is no good for your body."

Lou Zhenhua sighed, his eyes still fixed on the plate, "I just crave meat whenever I see it now..."

He Yuzhu raised his glass, "Boss Lou, what are your plans for the future?"

Lou Zhenhua put down his chopsticks, wiped the grease from his mouth, and his smile slowly faded, "I want to leave; I'm going south."

He Yuzhu nodded, "Our Liushi Trading Company has ships going there at the end of every month. If you want to leave, tell me a few days in advance, and I'll go see you off."

Lou Zhenhua waved his hand, "No need to be early; let's make it this month. Help me book it."

He Yuzhu was startled—this was said too decisively, so decisive it didn't sound like a discussion. It seemed Lou Zhenhua had thought everything through while inside.

He looked at Xiao E, "Is Xiao E going along too?"

Xiao E nodded vigorously, her eyes bright.

He Yuzhu said, "If you need anything when you get there, look for Zhao Ying, or you can go to the Liushi Trading Company office there. My friends over there can help; there's no problem if you want to do business."

The few of them drank a few more glasses.

As they drank, He Yuzhu only felt his head getting dizzier and dizzier.

He had never felt this uncomfortable before—it wasn't just ordinary drunkenness; it was that kind of weakness where his whole body felt limp and wouldn't obey him.

His eyelids grew heavier, as if someone were pressing them down with their hands.

He wanted to speak, but his tongue wouldn't obey him.

Before he knew it, everything went black before his eyes, and he slumped directly onto the table.

Tan Yali glanced at Xiao E; that look was very complicated, and she glared at her again.

Xiao E lowered her head, her face burning intensely, and whispered, "Help him to the guest room... he's so drunk today, he probably can't leave."

Lou Zhenhua still didn't understand what was going on and muttered, "How did Zhuzi's tolerance get so low? He used to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk..."

Xiao E didn't speak, her cheeks so red they could drip blood.

He Yuzhu lay on the bed, having nothing but chaotic dreams all night, a jumbled mess of everything.

Waking up early the next morning, he discovered he was stark naked.